An electronic program guide (EPG) is a system in which a device (such as a television receiver), which outputs an externally received content to its display section, displays information relating to the content. The information is carried while being superimposed on a digital broadcast wave broadcasted from each broadcasting station, and therefore the device can provide the information to a user in real time.
In recent years, devices such as a television and a recorder are generally available which enable the user to select an intended content from a contents listing (in particular, a so-called “counterprogram listing” in a case where the content is a television program), which has been generated by utilizing the EPG, for causing the content to be displayed or making a recording instruction. In view of improvement in usability, therefore, it is important to display the contents listing such that the user can easily view the contents listing.
By taking into consideration the importance, efforts have been widely made for improving the display of the contents listing. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a display processing device with which a user can easily confirm and select any of programs of a plurality of favorite channels. Patent Literature 2 discloses a television receiving device which displays a counterprogram listing, which includes thumbnail images extracted based on faces, of currently broadcasted counterprograms.